Disclaimer: Believe me, if I owned the stuff I write about, I'd be a millionaire.

Last time, Kaiba began his duel with one of Hiei's operatives, none other than Kazuma Kuwabara himself. Also, Yami was faced with an insurmountable challenge: the defeat of Beck's Vampire Lord. Meanwhile, Hiei has been grappling with the ever-growing evil beginning to emerge within him.

In this chapter, Yami continues the fight against Beck, Kaiba begins his duel, and we figure out what part Kagome plays in all this.

And please bear with me on card inaccuracies.

Chapter 15: Shadows of the Damned

Kaiba vs. Kuwabara

"I'll make the first move, Kaiba." Kuwabara drew his first card. "Perfect. I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode!" A tall, ironclad warrior with a huge blade attached to its arm assimilated itself into reality, deep crimson eyes burning with hatred towards Seto Kaiba. (1800/1600) "But that's not all; I'll also equip my beast with the Fusion Sword Murasame Blade Magic card, boosting my monsters attack strength to 2600! And thanks to my Magic's ability, it can't be destroyed by Gearfried's effect! I will also place two cards facedown. Your move."

"Very well. I summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp in Attack mode!" A huge, cruel jinn formed itself out of the smoke from which it came. (1800/1000) "I will also play the Magic card, Reload, which allows me to shuffle my hand into my deck, and draw the same number of cards. Finally, I will place three cards facedown, and end my turn."

Kaiba played that weak monster in Attack Mode, so one of those facedown cards must be a trap. But I have just the card for that.

"I activate my two facedown cards, Pot of Greed and Jar of Greed, allowing me to draw three cards from my deck! Next, I'll play the Magic Card, Reasoning! This allows you to call any monster level, while I pick up cards until I draw a monster. If you call it right, every card I picked is discarded. But if you get it wrong, it is summoned to the field!"

"I call monster level 7."

Kuwabara began to pick up his cards, until...

"AHA! I summon Freed the Matchless General in Attack mode! Since it's a five star monster, it is automatically summoned thanks to my Reasoning card!" The general stood a full seven feet tall and clad in silver armor, yet he bore only a small sword as a weapon. (2300/1700) "Finally, I will play Heavy Storm, to clear the field of all trap and magic cards!" Yet as this enormous tempest began to form, something went wrong. The wind was dragged away by a thick, purple fog, which began to materialize into a jackal's head.

"WHAT?! KAIBA, WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

"You triggered my Trap, you moron. I activated Judgment of Anubis Counter Trap, which negates and destroys anything that results in the destruction of a Magic card. But that's only the beginning. It also gives me the option of destroying one monster on your side of the field, whose attack power will be subtracted from your life points. And I select your Iron Knight! Judgment of Anubis, destroy his monster!"

The smoke head began to absorb the energy of the Heavy Storm into a ball of dark energy. This energy began to glow with an incomprehensible power...until it was released in an assault on Kuwabara's Gearfried. The energy consumed the knight until it exploded, taking a huge chunk of Kuwabara's life points and hurling him into a wall as it did so. (4000/1400)

"All right, Kaiba, that's it! I play one card face down, and summon Strike Ninja in Defense mode!" The ninja appeared onto the field, dressed in pitch black garb with a small face mask as well. (1600/1200) "Go ahead and try to attack me all you want! Nothing you have in your entire deck can stop the card I played!"

Kaiba looked at his current hand with some worry. Alright, the imbecile is down to his last 1400 life points, but he doesn't seem too worried about it. And judging from his monster choice, he's going to keep summoning warriors using his General's effect. I don't have any Dark Monsters to use with my Crush Card, but even if I did, he might have some kind of counter to stop me from using it! Unless I can draw Shrink in this draw... But what if he WANTS me to use my Crush Card, like Ishizu back in Battle City?!

*Believe me, Kaiba, Kuwabara isn't nearly smart enough to try something like that. And don't worry about his face down card, I know for a fact he doesn't have any counter traps.*

Kaiba tuned out the duel, and turned towards whoever was speaking in his mind. As it turns out, it was the girl he was trying to rescue.

*I suppose I should give some kind of explanation. You see, I can channel my spirit into something of an astral projection and communicate telepathically with any one capable of understanding. And thanks to your Millennium Rod, I can speak to you as easily as I could in reality.*

Really. But at this point, I have to wonder who you are, and more importantly, what you have to do with Hiei.

*I'm afraid I can't tell you very much here. Knowing Hiei, he probably has at least one of his agents tapped into our conversation. For now, you may call me Botan.*

Botan, eh? I suppose you were the one that Hiei's looking for, but don't worry, if this nimrod is as bad a duelist as you say he is, this won't last long. I can get you out of here, but I'm afraid I'll need some information from you afterwards.

*Deal. But what's important is that you beat Kuwabara. He may be thick, but he has been known to beat an opponent using extremely powerful monsters, so it would be wise to end this as soon as possible.*

Very well, then. Kaiba returned to reality and drew his next card. PERFECT! The Shrink Magic Card! "I'll place two cards face down and end my turn."

"AHAHAHA! You should have attacked me when you had the chance, Kaiba! Now you'll pay the price! Reveal facedown card Skull Invitation!" A huge, dark entity established it's position on the field. "This Trap inflicts 300 life points direct damage each time a card is destroyed, depending on who owns it! But that's not all; I summon Goblin Attack Force in attack mode, and activate the Field Magic card, Gaia Power, giving all Earth monsters on the field a 500 point boost." The heavily fortified orc strike unit and the general had their power boosted by the gargantuan forest area around them. (2800/1700) (2800/0).

Kaiba, however, was not impressed. "You walked right into my trap, Kuwabara. Activate Shrink! This Magic card cuts the attack power of my La Jinn in half!" The mighty genie greatly decreased in size, down to the stature of a lawn gnome, and it's attack suffered for it. (900/1000) "Yet my move isn't done yet. Activate Crush Card! Since my La Jinn has less than 1000 attack points, he can harbor this plague. And now I'll sacrifice him to destroy every monster in your deck, hand, and field with over 1500 attack points! And thanks to your Skull Invitation, you lose 300 life points for every monster! THIS DUEL IS OVER!"

The demon of Skull Invitation tore away what remained of Kuwabara's life points, causing him to collapse to the ground. (4000/0)

"Well, now that the duel is over with, it's time to fulfill your part of the deal." Kaiba reached into Kuwabara's Duel Gauntlet sleeve and extracted the key from it, followed immediately by a quick search for his rarest card; in this case, it was Vatradan of the Order. Turning away from the duelist, Kaiba strode out of the alleyway, carrying the unconscious Botan in his arms.

Yugi vs. Beck

Yami could not help but despair as he looked at the current situation at hand. As long as Beck's Vampire Lord was in play, he could not get through to a direct attack, since it returned to the field each time it was destroyed. There was also to be taken into account the lack of defense he had to work with: all he had was his Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts.

"I'll play this monster in face down defense mode, and play one card face down. That will end my turn."

Beck drew his card, and it was just the card he needed.

"Perfect! I equip my Vampire Lord with the Axe of Despair and Fairy Meteor Crush, to increase his attack strength by 1000 points and give him the ability to inflict damage to your defense monsters as if they were in attack mode!" A huge axe appeared in the vampire's grisly hands, a hideous skull feeding power into it as it leered at the zombie. (3000/1200) At the same time, the creature was greatly empowered by the strength of the Meteor Crush, as it's very being began to glow in a mystical blue shade, while the hands holding the axe converted into fireballs of incomprehensible power. "Vampire Lord, attack his defense monster with Nosferatu Axe Slam!" The undead lord soared into the air, and almost immediately roared back down, using this velocity to bring the axe it held onto Yami's monster, shattering it instantly, while a bolt of light from the Fairy Meteor Crush burned away the difference between the attack and defense points of the monsters. (1900/1000)

Unable to stand any longer, Yami fell to his knees in horror of the grim reality of the duel. What am I going to do? Thanks to his monster and the equip cards he used on it, I don't have anything that can stop him. Unless...

Beck, already grinning due to his advantage, began to chuckle in glee as he remembered his monster's other effect. "I'm sorry, Yugi, but I nearly forgot. Thanks to my Fairy Meteor Crush equip card, I inflicted damage onto your life points, therein activating my Vampire Lord's other special ability. Since you lost life points, I am now allowed to destroy one card in your deck. And what better card to remove than your prized Egyptian God Card, Slifer the Sky Dragon!"

No, this can't be happening! I'm already down to my last 1900 life points, and that Vampire Lord is nearly indestructible. And thanks to his Fairy Meteor Crush, he could end the duel in the next two turns! What will happen to me without Slifer in my deck? But worst of all, what if Hiei gains the Millennium Puzzle? I can't let Beck win, but how can I stop him?

THAT'S IT!

"Alright, Beck! It's my move!" Yami drew his card, and it was the very one he needed. "I summon the Magical Scientist in defense mode!" A very unusual monster appeared: a scrawny, unshaven scientist in a grungy lab coat, surrounded by a huge laboratory. Upon his neck was a strange, garnet pendant. (100/100)

"AHAHAHA! Is that pathetic excuse for a monster supposed to intimidate me? It's attack power is miniscule, to say the least! What makes you believe that it can stop my all-powerful Vampire Lord, when even your strongest trap card couldn't? This duel is done!"

"Actually, Beck, you forgot that my Magical Scientist still has an unusual special ability as well! Magical Scientist, Fusion Synthesis!"

The supernatural geneticist began typing commands into his mainframe computer, as one of the holding chambers containing liquified DNA swirled into a vaguely humanoid form. "You see, Beck, in exchange for 1000 life points, I can Special Summon any Fusion monster in my fusion deck with six stars or under. However, there are two catches: the chosen monster cannot attack your life points directly, and it returns to the fusion deck at the end of the turn in which the effect is used . And I choose to summon the Black Flare Knight!" The holding chamber, now glowing a pale blue from the genetic manipulation, shattered to reveal a tall, imposing knight clad in deep purple armor, a flowing cape, and a bright orange crest. (2200/800)

Beck stared at the weak fusion monster before him, and began laughing uncontrollably. "Is this your idea of a joke? My Vampire Lord will easily destroy that pathetic excuse for a warrior! This duel is over!"

"Not quite. Black Flare Knight, attack the Vampire Lord!"

The mysterious soldier jumped forward to impale the fiend, but Beck got the first move, as the Vampire Lord cut through the helm before he got close enough to attack. "I told you, Mouto, your pathetic monster could not defeat my great beast! Wait! Why aren't your life points dropping?!" Sure enough, Yami was completely unphased, as was his life points. Yet something else was happening as well, for the Black Flare Knight was glowing a bright white, and his armor was converting into a gold plate armor, while his sword converted into a massive scythe.

Yami, whose face had thus far been a terrified mess, now bore the trademark smirk that had spelled doom for many duelists.

"I knew that my Black Flare Knight would not survive a head-to-head conflict with your Vampire Lord, nor did I intend it to. You see, one part of the Black Flare Knight's effects is that any damage from his destruction. However, there is another, more powerful effect, if my Knight is destroyed as a result of battle, another monster takes it's place: the Mirage Knight!"

The powerful monster stood upon the field in all of it's glory. (2800/2000)

"No! That monster was supposed to be a legend! I'm finished!"

"Then you must know it's special ability. Each time it attacks a monster, than monster's original attack is added to it of the Knight." The Vampire Lord could only watch in horror as it's ghastly image was reflected in the Knight's golden armor. (4800/2000) "Mirage Knight, destroy his Vampire Lord with Holy Scythe and end this duel!"

The mighty scythe began to glow a blinding gold, as a chorus of angels could be heard empowering it. The Vampire Lord, clutching it's head in terror of the judgement of God, could only watch as the Knight beheaded it and wiped away Beck's last few life points. (900/0)

"YEAH! I KNEW HE COULD DO IT!"

Amidst cheers from the onlooking crowd, Yami walked over to the fallen Beck, who was shaking in horror as though he had been condemned to death. Yami looked on for a few seconds, then removed Beck's only tournament key and his Vampire Lord. "You won't be needing these anymore." Yet as Yami walked back to the crowd, something triggered a reaction, as though an all too familiar presence was bearing down on them.

Suddenly, Beck began screaming. And not just regular screams; these were bone-chilling, blood-curdling screams that were normally only heard from those who were sentenced to eternal damnation.

"NO, PLEASE HAVE MERCY, MY LORD! I TRIED...my...best...Gyahhh!"

As Beck uttered his final, chilling scream, Beck collapsed onto the ground, dead. Only to be replaced by a much darker presence...

"Hiei."

The Dark Lord stared with contempt at the corpse of the archcriminal, then turned towards Yami. "I must admit, I am impressed. Very few, if any, could ever have defeated Beck in the position he had you in; for you to have defeated his Vampire Lord with the amount of life points you had, however, is a petty statistic compared to the horrors that await you in the finals, and that's assuming you even make it that far."

"HIEI, YOU BASTARD!"

Hiei turned towards the furious Inuyasha with a look of cold amusement in his dark eyes. "Ah yes. The legendary Inuyasha; I had a feeling I would be seeing you in this tournament. And judging from your deck, I'd say you have become an extremely skilled duelist, despite your despicable ningen sympathies..."

"After what you did to Kagome, I should kill you right now!"

"Inuyasha, calm down! There's no way any of us could attack him. All this is is an illusion meant to hide the real Hiei."

"The Pharaoh is correct. However, even if I was here, you wouldn't want to kill me any way. You see, if either you or Yami attempts to remove me from the picture, both the old bag Sugoruko and Hiragushi will die as well!"

"You mean...?"

"Yes, half-demon, Kagome is still very much alive, and it is lucky that my plan still requires her to be alive. You see, if you surrender to my the final shard of the sacred Shikon Jewel, I will return her, relatively unharmed, to you. As for your grandfather, Yami, you can have him back if you can beat me in a duel!"

Suddenly, Yami's forehead began to show the Eye of Horus, shimmering in a dark red light. "Listen to me, Hiei! You will surrender all of those you have captured, or I will destroy you! What gives you the right to tamper with the minds of our friends and loved ones?"

Hiei took on a livid expression. "Right? You dare speak to me of right?! Do you seem to forget that I have the power of mental destruction at my disposal? You do not seem to understand this, but my power exceeds far beyond those of all of you pathetic buffoons combined! Go ahead, try and destroy me, Pharaoh, but you will regret it! AHAHAHA!"

Hiei vanished, leaving the two warriors with their thoughts.

Don't worry, Grandpa. I'm coming for you. You and Kagome...

Well, it's not the best chapter, but I had quite a bit of work this week.

Okay, next time, Yusuke has his first duel, Kaiba gains information relating to Hiei via Botan (who is a traitor against the Dark Lord Hiei, details next chap), and Yami begins to realize information about his link to the Priestess Kikyo, through the most unlikely of sources.

Remember: Read, review, and don't flame. I'll update when I can.